Turtle Bay Resort: Palmer Course

Kahuku, HI • Public

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Overview

Though Turtle Bay Resort hugs the northern coastline of Oahu, the Pacific Ocean is only visible from the 17th hole on the Palmer course. The former 100 Greatest Public course has two distinct nines, with a forgiving front nine and a tighter, more demanding back side. Unlike many dramatically undulated Hawaiian layouts, the Palmer course is quite flat, with water in play on 14 holes. The Arnold Palmer design opened in 1992, but the property has quite an interesting history: It was used by the U.S. Army during World War II, with Nos. 15-18 serving as a landing strip and Nos. 5, 6 and 13 housing military personnel. The course hosted a PGA Tour Champions event in the mid 2000s, with Hale Irwin, Fred Funk and Jerry Pate all winning at Turtle Bay.

About

Holes 18

Length 7199

Slope 134

Price $209

Facility Type Public

Designer Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay, ASGCA

Awards

100 Greatest Public: Ranked from 2009-'16. Highest ranking: No. 78, 2015-'16.

Best in State: Ranked inside the top 10, 2003, 2009. Ranked 11th, 2011-'12, 2015-'16. Ranked 12th, 2013-'14. Ranked 14th, 2017-'18. Ranked inside the top 15, 2005-'07. Ranked 18th, 2023-'24.

Panelists

Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists

3.8

100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES

Shot Options

6.6214

Character

6.4692

Challenge

6.7364

Layout Variety

6.4849

Fun

6.6608

Aesthetics

6.5835

Conditioning

6.6812

Reviews

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Review

“Fun, thoughtful Arnold Palmer design. Good driving course, as each tee shot requires more thought than usual. Some lament the fact that the ocean is seen only on the 17th hole, but don't let that distract you from a fun design that does not rely on sheer length for its challenge."

2022

2 / 3

Review

“Turtle Bay Palmer almost feels more like a Florida course than one in Hawaii. It is relatively flat, and the only ocean view you get is at the 17th green. Still, it is one of the better public options on Oahu -- it is much tamer and more familiar to play than Ko'olau or Royal Hawaiian."

2021

3 / 3

Review

“The Palmer Course is a very good golf course on the north shore of Oahu. Quite possibly the best course on the island, it has several challenging holes to test your skill. From the tips the course is quite difficult, but from the forward tees it is very friendly. The greens are spacious, but difficult to read. The wind can blow at Turtle Bay, so an early tee time might be a good option. The clubhouse is great and the staff is friendly."

2018